The field of endoscopic surgery is being widely embraced by the medical profession. As used herein, the term "endoscopic" is defined to include endoscopic, laparoscopic and arthroscopic. Endoscopic surgical techniques have resulted in benefits to both the patient and to society. By the use of endoscopic surgical techniques, the trauma of surgical procedures, ranging from rehabilitative arthroscopic knee surgery to the removal of a gall bladder or an appendix, is substantially reduced. Endoscopic surgical techniques typically require a minimal incision into the patient, thereby reducing the trauma to the patient that is associated with the radical incisions typical in conventional, open surgical techniques. In addition to the reduced trauma to the patient, the avenues for infection in an endoscopic procedure are also greatly reduced. Typically, a patient having undergone an endoscopic surgical technique will have a shorter hospital stay than a patient who has undergone a radical, conventional open surgical procedure. And, the post-operative healing time is greatly reduced. Often, the time that the patient has to spend recouperating in the hospital is reduced from more than a week to several days or less, and out-patient endoscopic surgery is becoming common. This reduction in the duration of the hospital stay and the decrease in the onset and severity of complications results in decreased costs to health insurers, employers, and patients. In addition, the risk to the patient attendant in all surgical procedures is typically reduced when endoscopic procedures are employed.
A recently developed endoscopic surgical procedure involves repairing hernias utilizing an endoscopic stapling apparatus. A particularly important hernia repair procedure relates to the repair of inguinal hernias. It has been found that healing is promoted and re-occurrence of herniation is minimized by using a mesh onlay and mesh plug assembly to repair the hernia. The mesh is typically made from a biocompatible material such as polypropylene. The flat mesh typically has a plug attached perpendicular to the plane of the mesh. This plug typically consists of a roll of the mesh which is then affixed to the mesh onlay, e.g., by sutures. For insertion during a surgical procedure, the mesh onlay is typically folded about the plug and loaded into an introducer instrument, then inserted into a trocar cannula which has previously been inserted into the abdominal cavity. Next the plug and mesh onlay are located by the surgeon in the desired location proximal to the hernia. The plug is then inserted into whatever hole may be present through the inguinal canal, and the mesh onlay is stapled to the surrounding tissue.
The mesh typically used for these types of procedures tends to have a memory, therefore, it is critical that the mesh onlay be packaged in a manner such that it is retained in a substantially flat configuration, while the plug is retained in a position substantially perpendicular to the mesh. What is needed in this art is a package for a mesh onlay and plug which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, but which would protect the mesh and plug assembly during sterilization shipping and handling, and which would further maintain the mesh in a substantially flat position and the plug in a substantially perpendicular position with respect to the mesh. The package should also be easily sterilizable and readily opened by operating room personnel in a sterile field in the operating room.